The Town of Gardiner Planning Board held a public hearing July 28 on a proposed development on Osprey Lane that drew scrutiny from residents over whether the site would be used for vehicle repair or asphalt-related operations.

The proposal, submitted by P.E. Colucci Excavating, calls for a vehicle repair warehouse, office and two-bedroom apartment in a 9,600-square-foot building. The company already operates an established contracting business in Gardiner at a property on Steves Lane.

Concerns centered on the company’s ties to asphalt paving, even though the submitted plan listed only vehicle repair, warehousing and office uses. Residents also raised concerns about large trucks traveling back roads and questioned whether the company intended to manufacture asphalt on-site.

“This is clearly not a light industrial use. It’s a heavy industrial use,” said Lisa Minnetto, a Gardiner resident. “It is a blacktop company that you’re considering allowing to drive blacktop dump trucks, more of them, through a residential neighborhood.”

The town’s building inspector submitted a referral letter identifying a permitted use in the zoning district and applicable setback requirements. The letter also noted that the applicant runs an asphalt-paving company, had outgrown his current property and was seeking a new site.

Some residents said the letter was misleading, arguing the building plan did not include details for asphalt-related machinery.

“My understanding of asphalt manufacturing requires all sorts of significant heavy equipment which is not on this site plan at all,” said Matt McDermid, a Gardiner resident. “So to me, the site plan doesn’t indicate asphalt manufacturing; it indicates a warehouse.”

Attorney Cassondra Britton said the letter nonetheless functioned as a determination because it addressed permitted use and setbacks.

“If you look at the code, there’s no such thing as a referral,” Britton said. “It is officially a determination because it’s determining that it’s a permitted use, it’s determining the setbacks.”

Board members said the plan met the requirements of a commercial-light-industrial district and that approval would be limited to vehicle repair, warehouse and accessory use. Any asphalt manufacturing on the site would require separate approval.

After closing the public hearing, the board added a condition requiring the applicant to identify a 20-by-20-foot contained area for temporary waste-asphalt storage and to pay outstanding review fees. The applicant has also obtained water and wastewater approval.

The plan was revised ahead of the hearing, reducing parking from 12 to 11 spaces, widening a portion of the driveway and adding a counterclockwise vehicle circulation pattern through the garage.